Motivational seminar leaves some ticket holders at the door

The photos 3TV viewer Angel Lugo e-mailed 3 On Your Side from outside the US Airways Center on last week's show about 75 people crowded around the doors for the Get Motivated seminar.

“People were actually screaming 3 On Your Side, 3 On Your Side, and I said I already emailed them!” Angel told us.

He also says the group began calling for 3 On Your Side’s help after being denied entry to the event, even though many, like him, had paid $60 for a ticket to hear motivational speeches from V.I.P.'s like former first lady Laura Bush, General Colin Powell, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash and former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.

“We're all here to try to improve ourselves and they're taking advantage of that, so that made me pretty upset, pretty motivated to write letters and communicate with them, and contact you guys,” Angel said.

Organizers did offer to bus those who couldn't get in to US Airways Center to the Dodge Theater, where they could watch the event via satellite.

“But nobody was getting on the buses, everybody was trying to get in because we all paid to get in,” Angel said.

Get Motivated tells 3 On Your Side some ticket holders were briefly denied entry because the fire marshall had shut down the arena.

The reason? A fire hazard caused by too many people standing in aisles and walkways.

In a statement, Get Motivated Seminars writes:

“Get Motivated Seminars is committed to not only conducting the worlds’ greatest business seminars, but to also providing an excellent experience for everyone who attends. While the Phoenix event was not oversold, there was a brief time period when the fire marshal would not allow anyone in the arena. Ticketholders who were detained were offered several other options to watch the event from satellite locations. It is disheartening when circumstances beyond our control result in even one customer experiencing inconvenience and frustration when trying to attend. Ticket prices vary according to availability and proximity to the stage.”

Angel says he finally managed to sneak past door guards when the thousands in attendance rushed the exits during lunch.

“Definitely mismanaged, they don't have any kind of crowd control,” Angel said.

Organizers say they regret the way things turned out for these ticket holder and, in this case, agreed to refund the $120 Angel spent on two tickets.

And although he only got to see a couple of the star-studded speakers, Angel says the message was indeed inspirational.